ECC greenlights grants worth Rs90b
An employee counts Pakistani rupee notes at a bank in Peshawar on August 22, 2023. Photo: Reuters
The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on Wednesday took many decisions which would have a total fiscal impact of Rs90 billion.
The ECC considered and approved funds required for clearing outstanding liabilities of utility companies including the Pakistan Post Office Department.
It authorized the release of Rs11 billion as a supplementary grant to address long-pending payables accumulated over several years, according to the Finance Ministry.
The ECC also approved a supplementary grant amounting to Rs29.6 billion to ensure uninterrupted procurement of vaccines and syringes under the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI).
The approval aims to sustain routine immunization coverage across the country, prevent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, and meet Pakistan's international commitments in public health.
The ECC further approved the sharing of subsidy on imported urea at a 50:50 basis between the federal government and provincial governments through a supplementary grant of Rs23.4 billion.
Of this amount, Rs15 billion will be released by the Finance Division, while the remaining amount will be arranged subject to fiscal space.
In the housing and development sector, the ECC approved a supplementary grant of Rs1.9 billion in favour of the Ministry of Housing and Works for discretionary spending on the parliamentarians' schemes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through Pakistan Infrastructure Development Company Limited.
The ECC also approved a supplementary grant of Rs150 million in favour of Cadet College Hasan Abdal to meet operational and developmental requirements and ensure the smooth functioning of the institution.
It approved the distribution of confiscated solar panels by the Federal Board of Revenue to the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan, along with the associated transportation and distribution plan.
The steps aim at helping address electricity shortages in the region, promoting renewable energy solutions, and supporting public service facilities through sustainable power generation.